Redemption
by A Writer With Mixed Interests
Summary: Takes place immediately after Through Rose-Tinted Glasses. When Sarah survived her fall off of the observation deck, she ended up with Clementine, Kenny, and AJ. Now, she's willing to prove herself and contribute more to their little group. Should be around five chapters long.
1. Moving Along

**Redemption**

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**Hello readers! So I decided on a small continuation of Through Rose-Tinted Glasses after Clementine (and Sarah) left with Kenny. This story won't be very long, maybe several chapters. But I hope you enjoy anyway and leave reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Walking Dead, Telltale Games does.**

**Enjoy! :D**

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The group of three (well, four if you were to include the infant) walked along the frosty grounds of Ohio, their shot at a safe place a total bust. Sarah turned around and took one final glance at the walls of Wellington. Would Carlos have wanted her to stay, if it meant that she would be safe? She didn't know.

"So, now what?" Clementine asked as she walked alongside Kenny.

Kenny sighed and gave the little girl beside him a sideways glance, no doubt still wishing that she'd stayed at Wellington, where she wouldn't have to walk in the cold.

"Walk for a while, I reckon," he replied almost monotonously, walking a little more forward. "Ain't like we got a destination."

"Should we stop to make camp?" Sarah asked in a small voice. Even after over a week of being with Kenny, she was still a little nervous around him.

"Not now, it's too early."

Sarah nodded and slung the bag of supplies a little more over her shoulder. It was beginning to feel a little heavy, but that didn't really matter all that much to her. She decided to walk with Clementine while Kenny led the way.

"I hope Kenny's not mad at us for going with him," Sarah spoke softly. "Did he want to be alone?"

"I don't know," Clementine admitted. Baby AJ began to whimper and cry, so she rocked him and quieted him down.

Deep down, Sarah knew that Kenny had it rough. Clementine told her that he'd had a son before (Duck, a name that Sarah had heard back at Howe's Hardware), so maybe he felt like he couldn't take care of three kids. Not after he'd lost his own.

"What does he need?" Kenny inquired, glancing over his shoulder at Clem.

"I think he might be hungry," Clementine responded. "Is there anything in the bags that he can eat?"

Kenny removed the other supply bag from his shoulder and zipped it open. Sarah was just beginning to open her bag too when the bearded man pulled out some type of container that seemed to satisfy him.

"Well I'll be damned, they actually put some baby formula in here," he announced. He walked over to Clementine and took AJ from her arms, and gave her the bag.

Sarah watched intently as Kenny fed AJ, while Clementine was on the lookout for any oncoming walkers. Luckily, they were all in a clear space. After AJ was fed and burped, they started on the path again.

It was a little less than two hours later when it began to get dark. Now was a good time to set up camp. Unfortunately, there were no nearby makeshift shelters, so they would all have to sleep on the forest ground.

Kenny rubbed his hands together and warmed them over the fire that he'd just prepared. He turned over to Clementine and Sarah. "Alright, we need to make a plan. Find ourselves a destination. We can't stay out in this damn cold forever."

"But where would we go?" Clementine questioned. "We're in the middle of nowhere."

_"Somewhere,_ dammit," Kenny squeezed his good eye shut. "We come all the way up here to Wellington, and for what? To get shut down cold? Both of y'all could have stayed, you know. You girls and AJ. All of you would be safe. Have a hot meal in you, restin' easy..."

"Kenny, stop," Clementine scolded, as if she were the adult instead of him. "Sarah and I wanted to stay with _you._ Not with people we didn't know."

With a massage of his temple, Kenny grumbled to himself as if to reply.

"Maybe we can go back to the cabin," Sarah suggested, looking down. She was currently the one holding AJ, whose little face stared up at her. This definitely had to be Alvin's baby, as AJ looked a lot like him, but he had a lot of Rebecca's features too.

Kenny turned his head in the fifteen-year-old's direction. "What?"

"Our group..." Sarah trailed off. "We stayed in this cabin in the woods. It was in North Carolina, I think. We had lots of food and supplies, but Dad was trying to stock up on medical stuff since we escaped from Carver's camp. Luke and Nick even built this little crib for when AJ was born, like a month ago. The cabin is really big, and has lots of room. We also have games and books." Sarah smiled at the wonderful memories with her cabin group. She was the only one remaining now.

Kenny raised his eyebrows as if to consider it. He then turned to Clementine. "Is this true, Clem? Is it what she says?"

"It's true, that's where I met Sarah and her group, after that dog bit me," Clementine responded, rubbing her arm with her other hand where, indubitably, an ugly scar had formed by now. Neither girl had told Kenny about Clem being locked in the shed.

"Okay, then," Kenny nodded. "I guess we're goin' to this cabin of Sarah's. We got a plan?"

"Yes!" Sarah cried excitedly, while Clementine nodded.

"Good," said Kenny. "May take us several days, or longer if there's another blizzard. Sarah, you may have to lead the way once we're close."

Sarah looked down at AJ, who was beginning to fall asleep in her arms. For a moment, she was afraid that they would get lost, but somehow she knew that she could find their way. So, she nodded confidently and looked up at Kenny. "I can do it."

"I can keep first watch," Clementine offered. "It's my night...at least I think so."

"Nah, don't worry 'bout it, darlin'," Kenny answered. "I'll keep first watch. Why don't you girls go ahead and get some sleep? I'll take AJ."

"But Kenny, you need-"

"Clementine, don't worry about me," Kenny repeated. "Now both of you, go on and get to sleep."

With a reluctant sigh, Clementine took AJ from Sarah and handed him over to Kenny before lying down. Sarah sat on the log for a moment, looking from Kenny to the bags of medical supplies. She was still willing to take after her father and become a doctor, so why not start now?

She got up from the log and walked over to the supply bags, zipping one of them open. For a moment, she rummaged through before getting out what she needed: A cloth, some peroxide, and a clean bandage.

Sarah gathered these items and stood up. She approached Kenny, who was eyeing her, luckily more curiously than suspiciously.

"Umm...can I change your bandage?" she asked shyly.

Kenny looked over at Clementine, who was lying down and possibly already asleep. It was no secret that he trusted her probably a bit more than he trusted Sarah, but right now he didn't exactly have a choice, plus, Sarah was a doctor's daughter.

Kenny sighed. "All right. Just don't freak out when you see it."

"I won't," Sarah promised with a shake of her head.

She knelt down in front of Kenny and slowly removed his eye bandage, and couldn't help but cringe.

"Still that bad, huh?" the man chuckled.

"It's getting...better," Sarah told him, unsure of whether or not she was lying. Kenny knew what was coming next, so he squeezed his good eye shut to avoid yelling and waking up Clementine and AJ.

Sarah began doing one of the processes that she had watched Carlos do for years, and poured a little peroxide onto the cloth, just enough where it would help the eye.

"I hope this doesn't hurt too bad," the teenager said sincerely, and she placed the cloth onto Kenny's bad eye. Kenny only flinched slightly and let out a grunt of pain, but luckily didn't scream out. Sarah flinched too, and was able to calm herself rather quickly before her breathing could pick up.

Sarah cleaned out the infection and placed the clean bandage over Kenny's eye, now having finished.

"There, I'm all done," Sarah spoke quietly. She hoped she did a good job.

"Thank you," Kenny replied. Sarah was a little surprised when he actually smiled at her a little bit.

Sarah returned it, and stood up. She quietly walked over to a separate little spot and lay down in a fetal position, her head on her arms. She closed her eyes and fell asleep, wondering just how many more nights she would have to spend in the wilderness.

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**So how was that? Good, bad, awesome? Please let me know, and if you have any ideas on what could happen in the next chapter, that would be very much appreciated! The next chapter shouldn't take too long. **


	2. A Familiar Face

**Thank you for the feedback! Let's move on now. ;)**

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The very next morning, Sarah awoke to the sound of AJ crying and the usually raucous voice of Kenny trying to comfort him. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, then adjusted her red glasses. Clementine walked past Sarah and stood in front of Kenny.

"Let me take him," she said, holding out her arms. "I can calm him down."

"Alright, here," Kenny handed AJ over.

Clementine took the small baby in her arms and sat on the log next to where Sarah was now sitting and began to rock him. She turned her head and noticed that the older girl was now awake. "Hey, Sarah."

"Hey, Clem," Sarah replied with a small smile, briefly looking up from playing with the buttons on her jacket (her hair was too short to play with now).

Kenny was seated on the log adjacent from the two girls. "All right, now that we're all awake, we better get movin' soon," he announced.

Clementine nodded in agreement and stood up, Sarah following suit. Since the fire had been put out long before the girls had woken up, they began their possibly long journey back to North Carolina. Sarah hoped that no one else had occupied the cabin, or worse, walkers hadn't overrun it by now.

Once again, Kenny led the way, and the girls followed (while AJ was being carried). Sarah looked down at Clementine and noticed the gunshot wound that was still visible on the younger girl's jacket.

"Is that feeling okay?" Sarah inquired. "It doesn't still hurt, does it?"

"Maybe a little, but not as bad as before," Clementine admitted.

"Oh."

They walked in silence for a few moments, and then: "How are you holding up, Sarah? After...you know..."

Sarah looked down at the ground, rubbing her arms to try and keep warm (which didn't help much with a rather thin jacket, mind you). She had seen so much in such a short period of time. Her entire group, including her father, had died within a two-week span. Kenny had killed Jane in a fit of rage, and Clementine had nearly died after getting shot. It was a little much for Sarah to handle all at once, but she didn't want to worry her friend.

"I'm okay," Sarah responded, adjusting the supply bag over her shoulder. But was she really? True, she was finally beginning to re-function, but sometimes she was unpredictable when it came to her reactions.

Clementine was about to say something when a gunshot, and then Kenny's voice cut her off.

"Shit! Get down, girls."

Kenny crouched behind a large boulder, signaling for both of the girls to follow his lead. Sarah and Clementine obliged and bent down behind him, wondering just what the hell was going on. AJ was fast asleep in Clementine's arms, so he likely wouldn't make noise as of now.

As usual, a few walkers were roaming around aimlessly, but the sound of someone yelling in Russian caught the attention of everyone.

"What the fuck..." Kenny whispered. "Is that who I fuckin' think it is?"

Another yell in Russian came out of the person's mouth, and the little group's thoughts were confirmed when they noticed a shrieking Arvo, the teenager just a little older than Sarah who had shot Clementine in cold blood, trying to get the group of walkers away from him.

"Should...should we help him?" Sarah asked softly. She retrieved her Jericho 941 F just in case.

_"Fuck_ no, we ain't helpin' him," Kenny hissed. "I want to see what happens. Hopefully those walkers devour that shitbird."

"I-I'm sorry," Sarah responded, a little overwhelmed by his slightly harsh tone. But Kenny was the adult and technically took over as leader, so there wasn't much for her to have a say in.

Arvo was alone, which was strange. Where were Mike and Bonnie? Sarah decided to look around to see if they were nearby, but there was no other human in sight other than Arvo and themselves. She decided to keep watch for anything fishy.

"Kenny, maybe we should do something," Clementine decided.

"After he fuckin' _shot_ you, Clementine?! Are you out of your mind? That asshole doesn't deserve the time of day!"

Sarah turned back to where Arvo was standing. He tried to shoot a walker coming dangerously close to him, but after a couple of clicks, he realized that he was out of ammunition. Panicked, the teenage boy back away, but hit another walker that had sneaked up behind him.

The walker from behind chomped into Arvo's neck, causing the boy to start screaming in agony. The walker that he had tried to shoot fell on top of him and began to eat him alive. From that point, you could only hear screams of pain and the moans of walkers.

Sarah gasped and looked away, squeezing her eyes tightly shut and placing her hands over her ears in fright. She couldn't watch anymore, it reminded her of what had happened to Carlos.

"I can't...I can't look!" Sarah cried.

The screaming eventually subsided, meaning that Arvo was dead and close to turning. The walkers seemed to have eaten enough of Arvo, as they slowly got up and dispersed.

"Good, the kid deserved it," Kenny had a satisfied look on his face, and turned to face Clementine. "First his little group decides to cause a fuckin' shootout that nearly kills everyone, and he shoots you point blank. I think he's paid the price for it. What do you girls think?" By now his attention was on Sarah as well.

Sarah felt a pang of shock. Why would anyone deserve to get eaten alive? Carver was a bad man, and she still wasn't glad that he was dead (although he was still the only person she had ever hated in her short existence).

Clementine seemed to think about it, as if there were several options to choose from. Eventually, she sighed and answered, "I don't know."

Sarah folded her arms. "I just wish he wasn't so mean..." she admitted, not entirely sure what to think.

Kenny didn't prod them any further, and stood up. "Well, come on then."

They trekked on that cold winter morning, all of them still in disbelief over what had just happened. When did Arvo make it up here, and what happened to Mike and Bonnie? Had they separated? Were they dead? It was impossible to tell.

Everything was mostly silent for right now (except for the occasional baby noises coming from AJ), so Sarah began to think back to the beginning, but a little differently than in that hut several nights earlier.

_Flashback_

_"Dad, why do we have to walk?" Sarah asked, her innocent voice making her sound ever-more-curious. "Why can't we just find a gas station?"_

_It was several days after the initial outbreak, and the car had run out of gas. Fortunately, Sarah and Carlos had been able to flee the city (after the undead version of Sarah's mother, Astrid, was put down), but they only lasted a couple days on the road before their car broke down. Now, they were walking along a dirt trail, somewhere about sixty miles out of a place called Statesboro._

_"All of the gas stations in the area are closed, Sarah," Carlos tried to explain. "They've been...put out of business."_

_"Really? That's so sad!" Sarah exclaimed, her dark eyes widening. "...Is it because more people are getting sick?"_

_"That's exactly why," Carlos "confirmed." "All of the stores are closed because they don't want to risk infection." Sarah didn't catch the uncertain look on her father's face. All Carlos wanted to do was protect her and keep her safe._

_"Oh..." Sarah trailed off. "Dad?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"...I wish Mom was here."_

_Carlos sighed, and had a sad expression on his face as he squeezed his daughter's hand. "Me too, sweetie."_

_Loud music cut Sarah off before she could speak again. She and Carlos both turned around and saw a pickup truck driving towards them. The truck slowed down, and a man who looked either over-friendly or just mean (Sarah's input) stared at them. Sarah hid behind Carlos, clutching the back of his shirt, and peeked out._

_"Yo!" the man greeted with a sickening grin. "I'm Nate!"_

_End Of Flashback_

Sarah shuddered, not wanting to think about that somewhat scary man, Nate, anymore. He had offered them a ride, and Carlos eventually agreed after some persistence. But then Nate began to prod Carlos that he'd "needed a gal other than his kid there," so when they arrived at an old movie theater for shelter, he strode him over towards an undead female walker and put him in danger of his life.

"Sarah?"

The teenager was pulled out of her thoughts, and she turned to face her younger friend.

"Can you hold AJ while I go get some water from that river there?" Clementine asked. "Kenny's keeping watch."

"Um...sure," Sarah replied, taking the tiny baby from Clem. She looked down at AJ, who was basically the only part of her former group left, and held him to her chest protectively, almost giving him a hug.

"I'll protect you, AJ," she whispered. "I won't let anything bad happen to you."

The very same words that Carlos would tell her.

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**So yeah, nothing really happened. :P But I've got plans for the next one. ;) And I'm sorry if Kenny was a little out of character, by the way. The flashback was a suggestion by one of my author friends, Assassin's Creed Master. Well, then, please review and the next chapter will be out soon!**


	3. A New And Old Friend

**As usual, I appreciate your reviews! And in a reply to guest, Sarah is still trying to cope after the loss of Carlos and misses him more than anything, but at the same time she _tries_ to keep her mind off of him since he would want her to go on. I mentioned in the last story that there are still nights where she cries herself to sleep when no one's listening. But I'm glad you're enjoying it anyway. :) **

**One of the outcomes of this chapter was suggested by Salient Spring. Oh, and as for Mike and Bonnie's whereabouts in the previous chapter, you can use your imagination. ;)**

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"Alright, I think we're gettin' close to Charleston," Kenny spoke up as he took a look of the map he had found.

A few days had passed now since the group was denied access to Wellington, and after Arvo's demise. Sarah, Clementine, Kenny, and Alvin Junior had made their way into West Virginia, but they still had a little way's walk before they reached North Carolina. Luckily, Kenny had found a map leading from Ohio showing nearly all of the east coast states up to Alabama. This was good, because it would make their trip a little less troublesome.

"How many days do you think we'll have left until we reach the cabin?" Clementine inquired, adjusting AJ closer in her arms.

"Well, if this cabin is in the woods near Raleigh...right?" Kenny turned to Sarah, who nodded vigorously. She knew, because she once heard Pete say almost these exact words. "...Then I'd say we'd have a good four, maybe five days 'fore we get there."

Sarah thought back to when her group was traveling from the cabin to the mountains by the ski lodge. It had taken around the same amount of time from both points.

"Do you think we'll see the ski lodge?" she couldn't help but be curious.

"Doubt it, it ain't in West Virginia," Kenny answered.

They walked in silence for a little bit, then Sarah decided to talk to Clementine. But she was going to keep her voice down, afraid that her next words would make Kenny angry. She was frightened of Kenny when he was angry.

"Clem?" Sarah spoke barely above a whisper.

Clementine turned to face Sarah.

"I wish Carver didn't die like he did," the older girl admitted. "He was a big meanie, but Kenny didn't have to bash his face in. That's a horrible way to die." She hadn't actually seen the beating due to Carlos guiding her outside and covering her ears with his hands, but she'd had a vague idea of what happened.

"He did it to protect us, Sarah," Clementine responded. "Carver might have killed us if he hadn't."

"Maybe..." Sarah trailed off quietly.

"It might be near time to find us a place to sleep for the night, girls," Kenny called to them. "Keep your eyes open."

Both Sarah and Clementine agreed that this was probably a good idea, as the sun was going down and it would be dark sooner than they knew it. Sarah looked at the sky, all those colors. She remembered watching the sunset with both of her parents, how lovely it was.

She sighed and placed a hand to her chest, her heart still hurt and probably would for a long time coming.

They eventually found shelter in a small opening, near an old ATM. Kenny sat on a tree stump, holding AJ, while the girls took a seat on the ground (a former road). Kind of an odd shelter, but it would have to make do for this evening.

"We need to find somethin' to make a fire," Kenny pointed out the obvious. "One of you can come help look, but someone needs to watch this area."

"I'll go," Clementine volunteered, standing up.

"I can stay," Sarah offered. She sat Indian-style on the old road, her firearm in her lap just in case.

Kenny turned to her and nodded once. He eventually learned to trust Sarah after she was able to handle a couple of night watches. Albeit she wasn't nearly as experienced as him or Clementine, she still did okay.

"Here, keep an eye on 'im," Kenny walked over to Sarah and placed Alvin Junior in her arms. "We'll be back soon."

Sarah nodded and looked down at AJ as Clem and Kenny walked away. The baby was sleeping peacefully, blissfully unaware of all the dangers of this cruel world.

Now that she was practically alone, Sarah couldn't help but feel a little nervous. The night was too eerily quiet, not a walker or a soul in sight other than AJ and herself. She wished she had her book, as it wasn't completely dark out yet, but her belongings were (likely) still at the ski lodge where she and her group had been kidnapped.

However, the quiet night air didn't last for very long. Sarah nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a scream, and whipped around. She jumped up in a split second.

A dark-skinned woman, wearing an orange jacket and jeans, had been tackled by a walker that was fervently attempting to bite her. The woman grabbed its shoulders as it tried to lean down. Sarah knew that she had to act fast.

She had her Jericho 941 F in one hand, and AJ in the other. She carefully aimed the weapon at the walker, her arm trembling slightly, and took a breath before firing. The gunshot ran clear through the walker's skull, destroying its brain in one shot.

The woman pushed the walker - which was about fifty pounds heavier than her - off of her and stood up, brushing herself off. She and Sarah stared at one another for about ten seconds, the latter clutching the baby protectively. The woman opened her mouth to speak when a new voice jumped in, cutting her off.

"Sarah!"

Clementine came running towards her older friend with some sticks and a log. "Sarah, are you o-" She turned, her position frozen in shock as she immediately dropped her bundle. The woman looked back at her, her dark eyes widened.

"Clem...Clementine?"

"Christa!" Clementine's voice came out in nearly a squeak. She stood there for a few seconds, and then ran to the woman, Christa, engulfing her in a tight hug. Christa embraced her back tightly, her eyes squeezing shut.

"Clementine...you're alive!" Christa whispered. "Oh God, I can't believe it."

Sarah watched the scene unfold and was reminded of when Clementine had reunited with Kenny not all that long ago. Now she was glad that she knew how to survive and that she had saved Christa. Had this occurred about two weeks earlier, Christa may have died.

Christa knelt down in front of Clementine and placed her hands on her shoulders. "Clem, where have you been all this time?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Clem replied softly, a smile on her face. "You'll never believe this, but Kenny's alive!"

"Really?" Christa's eyes widened. "Well, where is he?"

"Someone say my name?" Kenny appeared from behind Christa with his own Cheshire Cat grin. He had his own little bundle of firewood.

Christa spun around, her eyes widening even more and her jaw dropping to the very core of the earth. "No way...it's impossible. How did you get out after saving Ben?"

_Who's Ben?_ Sarah thought. She felt a little left out, but that was to be understood.

"It's a long story, I'll tell it someday," Kenny winked.

After Christa got out of her initial shock, she spoke up again. "The girl over there, is she with you?" She turned around to face Sarah. "What's your name?"

"I'm Sarah," Sarah introduced herself shyly, avoiding eye contact.

"She's with us, Christa," Clementine reassured the woman. "She's my best friend, you can trust her."

"Well, she saved my life, so I suppose so," Christa responded, and gave Sarah a half-smile. "Thank you, Sarah."

"Y-You're welcome."

It was only then when Christa noticed AJ in Sarah's arms. "You have a baby? Whose...is he?"

"Parents passed away recently," Kenny stated remorsefully, looking at the ground. "His name's Alvin Junior, after his daddy. We call him AJ for short. Rebecca and Alvin...they were good people. They'd have done a great job raisin' this little boy."

Christa nodded, looking a bit saddened. Only Clementine knew what she was thinking.

"Do you wanna hold him?" Sarah offered in a small, innocent voice. She offered Christa a timid smile. "He's _really_ soft."

There was no doubt that Christa felt a little wrong for holding a baby that didn't even belong to her, but she did it anyway. As AJ rested in Christa's arms, Christa and Clementine exchanged sad smiles.

"So...are you still heading to Wellington?" Christa asked as she took a spot on the ground between Clementine and Sarah. She rocked AJ gently.

Kenny raised an eyebrow and looked in Clementine's direction. "We actually made it there, but it was over-populated. I begged the lady at the gate to take the kids, and hell, she even agreed. But Little Miss _Stubborn_ here wouldn't allow it. I offered Sarah a choice, and she came along too."

"Hey!" Clementine spoke in a teasing manner.

So for a while longer, there was light chatter among the four older group members, and even Sarah began a conversation. At first, Christa seemed skeptical about going along to a cabin, but eventually agreed when Clementine reassured her that it was a real place. Sarah found it a little funny that her friends had seen two familiar people over the course of a few days, but she never said it was impossible.

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**Well, there's Chapter 3. Writing for Christa is actually pretty difficult if you ask me, but I tried. So I have a question for you guys today. FanFiction user Omid and I were talking the other day, and he mentioned that if Sarah had died first instead of Carlos, Carlos would have "ceased to function" just as Sarah would, and I strongly agree with him. What do you guys think? Also, if someone has a suggestion for what could possibly happen next chapter, that would be very highly appreciated! :D**


	4. Not Quite The Destination

**To TOkun92, I'll take your suggestion into accounting with some changes. But thank you and thank you to all who gave me feedback!**

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Two somewhat rough days passed since Christa had been reunited to Clementine and Kenny (and introduced to Sarah and AJ). The group was just beginning to reach North Carolina, meaning that they were getting closer to the cabin.

Sarah felt like this particular trail was vaguely familiar somehow, but she just couldn't seem to pick up how and when she had been here before. Asking Kenny and especially Christa didn't feel like the right choice, so she decided to talk to Clementine.

"Clementine? Have we been here before?" Sarah inquired. "I feel like...this area seems so familiar to me."

Clem looked hesitant, almost as if she didn't want to answer her friend, but eventually she sighed and decided to go along with it. "We were on this path when we escaped from-"

"Holy shit, no way!" the girls heard Kenny exclaim, possibly in dread.

They caught up to him and saw what he was looking at. Sarah's eyes widened in shock. There, standing before the group, was Howe's Hardware, where most of them had been help captive to do slave work for William Carver. The walkers were all cleared out by now (except for a couple of newer ones just roaming around), so the old parking lot out in front was mostly empty.

"What is it?" Christa asked.

"This was the place Clem was tellin' you about," Kenny replied, briefly pointing with his firearm. "The place where that asshole Carver kept us and held his fuckin' dictatorship."

"Kenny, he's dead now," Clementine spoke up when she saw the suspicious look on Christa's face. "Why don't we stop here for the night? It's getting dark."

"But what if...what if someone's still there?" Sarah asked, placing her left hand on her right arm and backing away slightly. She whipped around to make sure that there were no walkers sneaking up on them, and she was relieved when there was nothing but trees and a dirt road behind her.

"Doubt it, they must've all fled the store," Kenny responded, although he was barely paying her any attention.

"But how do we know that it's really safe?" Christa wanted to know as she crossed her arms. "Look at it, it's not exactly secure anymore, probably after what happened in that office." She glanced over at Clementine.

Kenny sighed. "I reckon we can stay for the night," he said in a somewhat strained voice. "But we're leaving first thing."

Before anyone could protest, Kenny led the three females towards Howe's Hardware, carrying a sleeping Alvin Junior in his arms. Sarah hoped that the place still had electricity, although it was a possibility that it could have been cut off at some point.

The groaning noises of a walker could be heard, and Sarah stiffened, not wanting to look back. Clementine turned around and gasped softly, and gently took Sarah by the hand.

"Come on, Sarah, we'll be safe inside," Clementine instructed, pulling the older girl away a little faster. _"Don't. Look. Behind you."_

Sarah nodded and gave Clementine's hand a gentle squeeze as she was led away.

Behind them, Christa kicked the walker down by the knee before slamming a nail file into his head - a trick taught to her by Clem. who had been taught by Jane. Luckily, she came out unscathed and followed her friends into the hardware store.

Unbeknownst to Sarah, the very reason why Clementine had pulled her along almost forcefully because that walker was the undead form of Carlos, with bite marks everywhere and his skin a sickly gray. She didn't want her friend to have to see her father like that and shut down again, losing all of her healing progress. Clementine felt horrible that Sarah was even near him. Had she turned around, she likely would've lost it.

Sarah immediately had an eerie feeling the moment she re-entered the store. There were just so many terrible memories here.

She wasn't looking where she was going and promptly tripped over something, holding out her arms to break her fall so that she wouldn't land flat on her face again. Christa walked over and helped her up, receiving a small smile in thanks.

Sarah looked down and let out a loud "EEK!" as she jumped back when she saw what exactly she had tripped over.

It was the decaying, smelly corpse of Carver. He looked almost unrecognizable now, there wasn't a part of his face that hadn't been smashed in by that crowbar. Kenny really had killed him. Clementine's words replayed in Sarah's head: _He did it to protect us._

"God..." Christa muttered, covering her nose and mouth with her hand. Sarah didn't blame her, the smell was probably worse than the walkers.

Sarah decided to walk away, not wanting to look at the dreaded body again. But there were more bodies all around, some of them previously undead. And some of them the fifteen-year-old recognized, and she was shocked to see the first one.

She gasped softly when she saw the corpse of Becca, a girl who would constantly torment her when she was kept here both times. Becca had been shot directly between the eyes, her orbs forever locked towards the ceiling. Sarah couldn't help but feel a little bad, and looked at the ground in a profound sadness.

_I'm sorry, Becca,_ she thought. _You didn't deserve this, even though you were always mean to me. _

"There better be some baby formula around here," Kenny spoke up, cutting the teenager out of her thoughts. "We might run out soon."

Hearing his words, Sarah decided to look around the store for some formula, hoping not to come across any more walkers. Just in case, she took out her firearm for good measure, but she didn't want to hurt anyone. She still had that good nature in her, even after all she had seen by this point.

"Hey!"

Sarah whipped around and came face-to-face with a man with reddish-brown hair who, oddly enough, looked like a mix between Carlos and Luke. Her eyes widened, and she backed away slightly. She didn't know if pointing a gun at this man was a good idea.

"Please...don't...don't hurt me," Sarah whispered, unsure if the man heard her or not. She debated on whether or not to yell out.

The man's expression softened. "Look, I won't hurt you if you won't hurt me," he reassured her. He cleared his throat and decided to be civil. "My name's Randy. My wife and son and I...we've been traveling for awhile, and we just found this place. I think it's safe here...aside from all the dead bodies." He chuckled.

"Oh..." Sarah trailed off, looking at the ground. More horrible memories flooded her mind. She looked up and made eye-contact with Randy. "I'm Sarah."

"Nice to meet you, Sarah," Randy offered a small smile. He held out his hand, and after a moment's hesitation, Sarah shook it.

"Who the fuck are you?" the two of them heard Kenny scream from another area.

"Shit!" Randy cried. He turned and bolted in the other direction. An ever-so-curious Sarah decided to follow him. Kenny was pointing his Glock 17 at a woman with short brown hair, a little boy standing behind her. This was probably Randy's wife and son. Sarah was a little confused as to why the child was African-American when the parents were Caucasian, but maybe he was adopted.

"Please...we're just trying to survive...like you," the woman begged.

"Leave my family alone!" Randy demanded, causing Kenny to turn and point his gun at him. He glanced over at Sarah.

"Sarah, what the fuck are you doin'? You can't just trust people immediately!" Kenny barked, causing the teenager to shrink back.

"S-Sorry..." Sarah said shamefully. She slowly walked over to where Clementine was standing.

"We've only arrived awhile ago, like you," the woman continued. "Please...we won't bother you. All we want is a safe place for our son..."

"Why is your son black?" Kenny nearly retorted.

"Kenny!" Christa snapped.

Sarah turned and noticed that the young boy was nursing some kind of injury on his arm. She wanted to go over there and help him, but not until all this was sorted out. As usual, it was up to Clementine to do just that.

"Kenny..." Clementine said cautiously, handing AJ over to Christa and slowly walking towards her guardian. "Kenny, no one has to get hurt. We can all stay here for the night without bothering these people. We'll be at the cabin by tomorrow and we'll never have to see them again."

Kenny looked from the little girl back to the family, and eventually lowered his gun with a sigh. "Fine."

"Thank you," Randy nodded, although he didn't seem to like Kenny too much. "Name's Randy. That's my wife Patricia, and our son Gill."

"I'm Clementine, and that's Kenny, Christa, AJ, and I think you've met Sarah already," Clementine introduced, pointing towards each group member.

"It's nice to meet you," Patricia smiled lightly. "I'm glad we could come to terms with this."

"Me too," Christa admitted, although she still seemed to have a bit of trust issues herself.

Now that things were settled, Sarah decided to approach Gill. "Are you okay? I can help you. My dad was a doctor and I want to be just like him."

"He's not bitten, is he?" Christa asked a little suspiciously.

"No. No! He's not bitten," Randy promised. "He was playing with a knife and accidentally slashed himself. We were just trying to find some medical supplies. With a little treatment I think he'll be fine."

"Can I see?" Sarah tried to coax.

Gill had a hesitant look on his face and turned to his mother, who nodded. The boy reached his arm out, and Sarah carefully pulled the sleeve back to reveal a rather nasty cut. She grimaced and looked at Gill. "I'll be right back."

She walked over to Clem, who handed her one of the two bags of supplies. Sarah dug around until she found what she needed, some peroxide and a bandage. Although she would've preferred something a little cuter for a bandage, it would have to make do.

Sarah led Gill over to a small table - while listening to Kenny grunt to himself about "wastes of supplies" - and worked on the latter's arm. Gill let out a small cry of pain when she poured the bit of peroxide over his arm, but got better once the bandaged was wrapped and the treatment was complete.

Gill smiled a little. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, I love to help people," Sarah replied.

Gill ran back over to his parents, and Sarah walked back over to where Clementine and Christa were sitting on a bench. Christa was still holding AJ, and both were catching up. Although Christa was smiling, Sarah could see an almost distinct sadness in her eyes.

"Hi," Sarah greeted, placing her hands behind her back.

"Hey, Sarah," Clementine greeted, patting the spot on the bench next to her.

The fifteen-year-old beamed and sat beside her younger friend. She was feeling a little better about spending the night here now, since they were fairly close to the cabin. But for right now, she just looked over at AJ, still vowing to protect the only part of her former group she had left.

**\\\\**

**So, the next chapter will be the finale. I got several requests from Salient Springs that will be used there (and one was used here). Well now, please be sure to review and/or message me if you'd like! Also, please be sure to check out some of the stories I'm co-writing with other people. Our Yearlong Struggle is on my profile (co-written with heidipoo), A Place To Call Home is on Assassin's Creed Master's profile, and Doctor's Survival is on Owen96's profile if you're interesting. :)**


	5. Home At Last

**Here we are now at the final chapter of this short story. Thanks for all the feedback, and I noticed that most if not all of you were surprised when I "brought back" Carlos. It was originally Sarah who was going to see his near-completely devoured corpse instead of his walker form, but then I decided that it might be too much for that poor girl to handle. That's why I had Clementine tell her not to turn around. Also, in a reply to Spider Butt Face, I'm sorry, but there will be no romantic pairings in this story, nor do I see Kenny and Christa together.**

**Alright, time for me to shut up and let you guys read now, bye!**

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"We wish you all the best of luck," Patricia told the group with a small smile. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

It was the very next morning after Sarah and the rest of her group had arrived at Howe's. Everyone had spent the night in one of the makeshift bedrooms (with two rows of single beds) and eaten a small breakfast of granola and fruit at one of the dining tables together. Now, Sarah, Clementine, Kenny, Christa, and AJ were preparing to leave for their final day of their journey. The walk from Howe's to the cabin wasn't very long, if Sarah remembered correctly.

"Don't worry, we will," Clementine assured the family.

"Yeah, I know where it is," Sarah placed her hands behind her back and swung slightly back and forth.

"And thank you, Sarah, for fixing up Gill's arm," Randy added, placing a hand on his son's back. "We really appreciate it."

"You're welcome!" Sarah beamed.

"Are you girls ready?" Christa asked as she approached them. She held AJ in one arm and one of the supply bags from Wellington in another.

Both Clementine and Sarah nodded and said a final good-bye to Randy, Patricia, and Gill before following Christa over to where Kenny was waiting by the front. Clementine had convinced him to wait there instead of the original way so that Sarah wouldn't have to see Carlos's body, after Christa had killed his undead form. Kenny stood with the other supply bag slung over his shoulder.

"We ready?" he questioned. After getting three nods in reply, he continued. "Well then, let's go."

And out the door they went.

If you could read Christa's expression as the group carried on their journey, you could easily tell that she was definitely trying not to get too attached to Alvin Junior. And well over two hours of traveling later, it was still obvious.

"Do you like the baby?" Sarah asked, deciding to strike up a conversation with Christa as she walked alongside the older woman. Clementine was up front with Kenny, walking alongside him.

"Huh?" Christa seemed to be broken out of her thoughts, and she turned to glance at Sarah. "He's adorable. I'm sorry, I was just...thinking too hard."

Sarah opened her mouth to say, "About your own baby?" but decided that it would be rude. She had been told about Christa losing a baby girl, Genevieve, a year earlier, and if Carlos had taught her anything at all, it was to be respectful and not mention a loss to a broken person.

It was mainly silent between the two females for the next few minutes, as they were still getting used to each other. Surprisingly enough, it was Christa who spoke next.

"So how old are you, Sarah?" she inquired.

"I'm fifteen!" Sarah answered, glad that someone seemed to be taking an interest in her. "My birthday is September twelfth."

"And you met Clem at this cabin you're taking us to, right?"

Sarah nodded. "Two of the people we were with found her and brought her back. She was really hurt, but we helped her and let her stay."

"Clementine mentioned that," Christa nodded. They would've talked some more, but there wasn't really a lot for them to say since they barely knew each other. AJ began to cry, and Christa rocked him gently, trying to shush him by whispering soothing words. Sarah couldn't help but be intrigued by her motherly nature towards the baby, but that was to be expected.

Kenny and Clementine stopped and turned, also watching as Christa took care of AJ, who calmed down almost immediately.

"I think he likes you," Sarah pointed out.

"That little traitor," Kenny teased. "Alvie, why are you shunning your big sisters and me for someone you only just met, hmm?"

AJ let out a tiny gurgle in reply.

Kenny chuckled. "We'll figure out what you're sayin' one day, bud."

For the next few hours, the group trekked on through the woods until the sun began to go down. There were some buildings not too far away, meaning that they were probably near some city. It was around mid-afternoon when Kenny stopped in front of a rather large sign.

"Raleigh - 20 miles," Kenny read the sign, placing his hands to his hips. He then turned around and looked at Sarah. "I have a feeling we're getting close. Mind leadin' the way, kid?"

Sarah immediately brightened. She knew _exactly_ where the cabin was from this point, because this was the way she and her former group had come before. She vaguely remembered Nick's mother, Helen, to be the one to point out this sign.

"I can show you, come on!" she exclaimed cheerfully, walking up to the front. But she stopped for a moment and turned around. "Clem, do you want to walk with me?"

Clementine nodded a couple of times. "Sure." She walked over and stood next to Sarah, and then they continued.

Sarah had an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach when she saw an alignment of dead bodies, some of them previously walkers, down by the stream where Alvin, Pete, or Luke would go fishing. Luckily, she managed to calm her anxiety before it could pick up, probably after Clementine placed a small hand on her shoulder. Either way, the teenager was grateful to have Clementine as her best friend.

Before long, Sarah continued to lead the group until she saw the familiar silhouette of a house. Taking a closer look, she realized that it was none other than the cabin!

She turned towards her friends, pointing at the cabin and bouncing down happily. Despite everything, she still seemed to act like she was eight years old, but right now, that didn't matter. "That's the cabin, right there! Look!"

Sarah began running in its direction excitedly, but Kenny was quick to catch up. He caught up quickly and turned her around, placing a somewhat firm hand on her shoulder.

"Now hold on a minute," he reprimanded, but not in a harsh tone. "We can't just go runnin' in there all willy-nilly. There's a chance that someone could be in there by now."

Sarah looked at the ground when she realized that Kenny was right. She had been gone a while from this place that she had called home for what seemed like a long time, and it was possible that someone else was sheltering inside now.

"Okay," the teenager replied a little glumly.

So together, the group of four walked over to the cabin, and after getting a quick look around the outdoor perimeter, Sarah opened the front door. She was immediately greeted by the scent of wood and vanilla, the most inviting smell in a very long time. It was a _very_ nice change from the scent of dead bodies. Sarah's eyes welled up, but she couldn't allow herself to cry.

"Anybody here?" Kenny called, taking out his firearm and looking all around as he, Clementine, Christa, and Sarah walked to the living room.

All he got in reponse was silence.

Kenny looked around with a slightly suspicious frown. "We need to scope this place out," he decided. "Christa and I can check the downstairs area. Clem, you and Sarah check upstairs. Search every nook and cranny. We can all meet down here once we figure out whether or not this place is safe."

"Sounds good," Clementine agreed. "Come on, Sarah."

The older girl nodded obediently and followed Clementine up the stairs. In this cabin, Rebecca and Alvin slept downstairs in one bedroom (with a crib that Luke and Nick had built for the baby nearby), Pete and Nick had another room upstairs, Sarah and Carlos slept in the bedroom by the stairs, and Luke had his own bedroom at the other end (hence the reason why Nick sometimes referred to him as a "lucky asshole").

Sarah opened the door to Pete and Nick's room and still felt a little wrong for coming in here, even though they were both long gone. She remembered Clementine taking a photo of her in this room, and having to hide underneath the bed when Carver arrived.

Ever so slowly, the teenager walked over to the closet and swung it open. Fortunately, there was nothing inside after a quick scan around, so she sighed in relief and closed the door.

"It's clear in this room, Clem," Sarah told Clementine when the two girls met in the hallway.

Clementine nodded. "Your room is clear, too. Also..." She smirked slyly and pulled out a photo from her pocket and handed it to Sarah. "I found this."

Sarah took the photo and gasped at what she saw. It was a photo of everyone in the former cabin group, minus Helen (she had taken the picture). Carlos was standing behind Sarah with his hands on her shoulders, and just seeing his face made the fifteen-year-old hold the photo close.

She approached Clementine and hugged her tightly, her eyes filling with tears again. "Thank you, Clementine!"

"You're welcome...uh...Sarah...too tight..."

"Sorry!" Sarah exclaimed, letting go of the eleven-year-old.

Together, both of the girls checked Luke's room and the bathroom, only to find that things were all clear. They walked downstairs where Kenny and Christa were waiting.

"So I guess this place is safe?" Christa asked as she sat on the couch.

"It's safe," Clementine confirmed with a nod. "And down here?"

"Not a soul in this place, well, other than us now," Kenny shrugged. "Also, good news, this place has water and soap, so we can wash up. But...I suppose there ain't really a change of clothes?"

Sarah shook her head. "Not really...this was my only outfit."

"I'm gonna go put AJ in the crib," Christa got up and disappeared down the hall with the baby in her arms.

Sarah turned to the couch, and her heart nearly fluttered at what she saw. It was one of her father's plaid shirts, the very same one that Carver had seen when he'd arrived. She walked over and picked it up, looking at it for a moment. Then, an idea popped into her head.

While Clementine was taking a shower, Sarah grabbed a pair of scissors and made her way upstairs to her bedroom. It felt incredible to be in here again, but she would have to take the real test tonight when she would be sleeping alone in the double bed.

She held the shirt up to herself to make sure just how much of the bottom she would have to cut off, and got to work. She didn't exactly have to do anything with the sleeves since they would be just below the elbow, and once she measured the shirt on her body, she gave herself a satisfied smile. All she needed to do was tuck it in once she changed, and she would be good to go.

Sarah was more than happy to slip out of her dirty light blue jacket. She was the next to take a shower, and put on her new outfit once she got out, feeling much better. She still wore the same jeans and boots, but the shirt felt very different.

Sarah walked to her bedroom and closed the door, not bothering to light the candles because it wasn't that dark out yet. She stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself.

Yet again, she felt close to crying. But _why?_ Carlos would want her to carry on, with or without him. But it was still obvious that Sarah missed him terribly. She looked in the mirror and hugged herself tightly.

The door opened, and Sarah immediately wiped the tears away with the palms of her hands. She looked to see Clementine standing in the doorway, no longer wearing her blue rainbow jacket.

"Hi, Clem!" Sarah chirped, trying her best not to sound quavery. She held her arms out. "Do you like my shirt? It was Dad's."

Clementine nodded and smiled slightly. "Yeah, it looks good on you, Sarah. You look exactly like your dad now."

Sarah beamed, now feeling more comfortable about mentioning Carlos. She sat on the bed and looked around for a moment. "I wish we had some more books. The ones I took are probably still at the ski lodge."

Clementine had a pained expression on her face that Sarah missed, but tried not to think about it.

A few minutes later, Kenny came upstairs to get the girls for dinner, as it was nearly around eight-thirty now. They followed him downstairs, where Christa was setting four bowls on the table. There was a large opened can of pork and beans that had been heated in the center.

"Is AJ asleep?" Clementine inquired as she and Sarah took their seats.

"Out like a light, must really like that crib," Kenny responded as he placed some spoonfuls of beans into his bowl. "Saw some fishing poles in the bedroom. Would be nice to go fishing again..."

"Alvin, Pete, and Luke went fishing all the time," Sarah pointed out. She stirred her own beans momentarily before looking back up. "My dad never let me go, though. They went to the stream, I think."

Kenny raised an eyebrow and seemed to consider it.

Aside from a few small conversations, the meal was mostly silent. Sarah and Clementine cleared the table and placed the dishes in the sink - along with the ton of dishes that already _were_ in the sink. Sarah remembered that dishes were not the favorite chore to do in the cabin.

Kenny went outside to keep watch, and Christa went to check on Alvin Junior before doing her own thing. Clementine was about to leave the kitchen to go to bed (she would sleep in Luke's old room), but Sarah stopped her.

"Clementine?"

Clem turned around.

"Thanks," Sarah said sheepishly.

Clementine frowned. "Um, for what?"

"For saving my life, teaching me to be strong, like you...and for being my friend." At that, Sarah offered Clementine a smile. She had wanted to thank the younger girl for these things for awhile now, and she finally got to.

Clementine smiled back at her, and nodded twice. "Goodnight, Sarah."

"Goodnight, Clem."

The younger of the two walked up the stairs to tuck in for the night. Sarah was feeling a bit tired herself from all of the traveling she had done these past few weeks, and decided to go to bed as well. It still felt a little strange to say that she was going to bed and meaning an actual bed. For what seemed like forever, Sarah and her group had to sleep on the ground somewhere.

Sarah placed the photo of her former group on the bedside table, leaving it there to keep as a memento of them all. She climbed into the double bed and took a final look at it before removing her glasses. Carlos wasn't there anymore, but that didn't mean that Sarah couldn't hug the pillow that smelled like him and pretend that he was. She let out a tired sigh.

"Goodnight, Daddy," she whispered.

Exhausted, Sarah fell asleep in a matter of moment. Now that she and her friends were safe, she knew that things really were going to be okay.

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**And there we go! Sorry if the ending is kind of lame and/or rushed, but that's what I could think of. As for other stories, I don't really have anything planned except for some co-writes with heidipoo. I would like to do a story about Sarah and Nick one day, and a story about Lee. I'll take ideas and requests, don't hesitate to shoot me a PM. Now, please be sure to leave some reviews! Those are always amazing...XD**

**CAST:**

**Louisa Mackintosh as Sarah**

**Melissa Hutchinson as Clementine**

**Gavin Hammon as Kenny**

**Mara Junot as Christa**

**Erik Braa as Randy**

**Julie Neil as Patricia**

**Aiden Kwasneski as Gill**

**Michael Ark as Arvo**

**Kid Beyond as Carlos _(Flashback only)_**

**Jefferson Arca as Nate _(Flashback only)_**


End file.
